All-Star hosts Rockets have work to do before break

The Rockets score the second most points per game in the NBA, but they also allow the fourth most points. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle )

Even though it’s only a symbolic break in the season, every NBA team yearns to be on its best behavior, in terms of its record, when the All-Star Game comes to town.

As of late, it’s worked out in most years. Save for a split decision at Los Angeles in 2011 (when the Lakers were up and the Clippers were down), the last NBA team to host the league’s best with a losing record was the Rockets at 22-31 prior to the Feb. 19, 2006, game at Toyota Center.

The Rockets enters Saturday’s game against Charlotte with a two-game cushion above break-even at 25-23, but the team also faces a daunting schedule prior to the Feb. 17 game at Toyota Center that a winning record at the break is by no means a sure thing.

Winners of four of their past six in the wake of their seven-game losing streak, the Rockets’ February pre-break schedule after the Bobcats includes the Heat on the road, a West Coast swing at Sacramento, Golden State and the Clippers and home games against the Warriors and the Blazers, who are 2-0 against the Rockets this season.

“It’s a tricky schedule for us,” guard Carlos Delfino said. “We have a lot of victories against the East Coast teams, and we need to get more West Coast victories. Those are the ones that are going to give us the playoff pass or not.”

The early February run includes two back-to-backs, the first coming Tuesday against the Warriors and Wednesday at Miami, followed by a Feb. 12-13 road swing at Golden State and the Clippers, with five of seven games against teams with winning records.

“It’s an interesting schedule all the time,” coach Kevin McHale said after Friday’s practice. “We’ve got to go play. We’ve got to play Charlotte in our next game, and we’ve got to play well.

“We had three games in a row where our defense was solid, we were really building on something, and then Denver spread us out and turned us over (in a 118-110 loss Wednesday). We lacked defensive integrity (against the Nuggets). We have to get back to where we were at.”

McHale’s goals

The Rockets have been on both sides of break-even during their three-year playoff drought. They were 20-14 at last year’s lockout-affected break, 26-31 in 2010-11 and 27-24 at the break in 2009-10.

The February games approaching the break, Delfino said, “is a moment where everybody is trying to push the gas (pedal). After the All-Star break, some teams are away from the playoff push. It’s not like they go on vacation, but it’s easier to get some (wins).

“Now we have to push the gas and be smart and play the best basketball we can. We need to be smart and get momentum.”

In McHale’s book, to no one’s surprise, that means playing better defense while limiting turnovers and playing at an upbeat tempo. It’s a trend he said has to resume Saturday against the Bobcats, who gave the Rockets a tough go Jan. 21 at Charlotte in a 100-94 win in which the Rockets rallied from 12 points down in the fourth quarter.

“Kemba Walker has been putting up some big numbers,” McHale said. “We have to be worried about ourselves. What we need to do is be better defensively, take care of the ball and play with some pace.”

Containing Walker

Walker had a career-best 35 points in the Rockets game for the Bobcats but has been under 20 points in three of his past four games.

“If I’m on him, I have to do a good job making it difficult for him to catch the ball and get to his sweet spots,” guard Jeremy Lin said. “He did a great job against us (in the Jan. 21 game).”
The ups and downs of the past two games — the 45-point win over Utah followed by the loss at Denver — reflect the inconsistent nature of the Rockets’ season, but All-Star reserve guard James Harden said both games reflect the team’s potential during the second half of the season.

“That (Utah) game and the Denver game, our style of play was very good,” Harden said. “It’s a matter of getting stops (and) locking out on defense. We can score the basketball.”

Home-court woes

Since 2006, only the Rockets in 2006 and Clippers in 2011 have hosted the NBA All-Star Game with a losing record.